Railroad crossing and station signal



(No Model.)

W. B; WOOD. RAILROAD UROSSING-AND STATION SIGNAL. No. 275,313, Patented Apr.3, 1883.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM B. WOOD, OF BOWLING GREEN, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO LEYVIS G. GARRIGUS, OF RUSSELLVILLE, KENTUCKY.

R AILROAD CROSSING AND STATION SIGNAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 275,313, dated April 3, 1883.

Application tiled October 7, 1882. (N0 model.) A

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, \VILLIAH B. \VOOD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bowling Green, in the county of \Varren and State of Kentucky, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railroad Orossingand Station Signals; and I do hereby declare that the following is.a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

This invention relates to an improvement in railroad crossinga-nd station signals, having for its object to cause the automatic and timely warning or signaling of the approaching train or engine at certain intervals along the track and within suitable distances from crossings and stations; and it consists of a pivoted shoe or lever hung at one side of the ash-box, adjacent to one of the drivers of the engine, and connected to an alarm or signal bell in the engine-cab, said shoe being adapted to engage with a cam or projection fastened to a track-tie and having a controlling-spring, substantially. as hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of my improvement as applied for use in connection with an engine or locomotive, a portion of the cab and one of the drivers of the latter being broken away, as is also a part of one of the track-rails, showing the cam. Fig. 2 is a detailed plan view of the lever or shoe.

In putting my invention into practice I employ a shoe or lever, A, hung or pivoted, at a point near its front end, to one side of the ash-box B of the engine or locomotive, said shoe having a double-inclined lower surface, with the taper extending from the greatest width (about at its middle) toward each end, to enable its rear end to be lifted as it is struck by the cam, presently described, and to readily escape therefrom after being thus acted on.

The rear end of the lever or shoe A is connected by a rod, C, to a signal or alarm bell hung in the engine or locomotive cab. To the forward end of this lever or shoe is attached a spring, D, also connected to the under side of the ash-box B, and is designed to promptly restore the shoe or lever to its original position after it has passed the cam or projection.

F is the cam or projection, fastened to a track-tie, one of such cams being disposed along the track a suitable distance from each crossing or station to cause it to operate the shoe or lever A, which will give the alarm or signal indicating the approach of the train or engine. The cam or projection is duplicated at the signaling-points for the stations or stopping-places, to give two signals or alarms, said cams being arranged three, four, five, or six ties apart for that purpose.

It will be observed that as the shoe of the approaching train or engine comes into contact with and rides upon the cam or projection the rear end of said shoe or lever will be elevated and effectthe lifting of the rod C, which will operate and cause the ringing of the bell, giving the signal or alarm to indicate the approach of the train or engine. When I the shoe or lever has escaped from the cam the spring D will instantly cause the depres sion of the rear end of the shoe or lever, and thus restore the shoe to its position to be again struck by the cam at the next signaling-point.

I am aware that a lever has been used in connection with a locomotive, adapted to operate a bell or a'whistle in the engine, said lever being also adapted to engage with levers or mechanism arranged along the track to act upon means imparting a distant signal indicative of the approach of the train; that a vertical rising and falling cam-plate has been arranged along the track rails, said cam-plate being operated by a similarly-operating roller connected to and sounding a gong outhe engine; and that a swinging weighted device has been adapted to operate between the rails, and to act upon the tappets of a shaft arranged under the engine-tender and sounding a gong on the engine.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent- In a railway crossing and station signal, the combination, with the cam or projection F, of the eccentrically hung or pivoted shoe or lever A, with one end connected by the rod 0 to the bell or whistle operating lever, and having at its opposite end an L-shaped spring, D, said shoe or lever A having a double-inclined lower surface, as shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

WILLIAM BASIL WOOD.

Vitnesses:

EDD BROWN, FRANK SALMoNs. 

